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Refresh Your Emergency Communications for the New Year

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Each new year is a time for new beginnings – considering what you’ve done for the previous year and what needs to change in the next.

If you haven’t used your emergency communication strategy in nine months or more, it’s time for a refresh. Teams and reporting structures can change, and new people are in positions that haven’t been trained. An annual checkup allows you to take advantage of any new functionality that has been introduced and remind the organization how important it is to stay in touch and informed in the event of an emergency. Even if your personal New Year’s resolutions tend to fall by the wayside, this is an annual checkup that you’ll want to make time for!

Stay Alert for Changes in Communication Trends

The percentage of Americans who rely almost solely on their mobile phone increases by the day, making it imperative to maintain accurate contact records for your employees and community. If you only have email addresses and landline phone numbers, you risk missing the majority of your audience. Make a decision to focus on building an accurate and up-to-date database of contacts that contains verified mobile phone numbers, email addresses and alternate phone numbers. This way, you have a variety of methods at your disposal to reach people in case of an emergency. Email may have been adequate in the past, but the billions of emails that are sent every day add clutter and confusion to inboxes everywhere.

Perform Regular Tests

Perhaps you scheduled a certain number of tests at the beginning of the year, but were you able to complete them all successfully? Creating a test schedule that you can follow throughout the year assures that your system is performing up to standards and that your staff will be ready to send messages in the event of an emergency. There should be no hesitation or looking for manuals when a crisis occurs – communication should be swift and accurate from your team. When you have a fire drill or other physical emergency test on-premise, take that opportunity to test your push notification systems as well. If you need assistance in issuing a test of your CodeRED system, contact your Customer Care team today.

Train Adequately and Often

As new people move into roles, it can be difficult to transfer all of the knowledge to a new staff member. Items such as emergency communications are neglected as duties are being explained for the simple reason that testing and using a crisis communication system is not an everyday task. Create a training schedule for your key communications and operations personnel, and be sure there is at least one individual in each department who is able to trigger a message in a pinch. Training should include updates for current users to explain additional options that have been added. For available webinars with your CodeRED team, head over to our resources page or contact Customer Care to get set up.

Practice Proactive Internal Communication

Yes, you should communicate about the presence of your communications system to internal teams! It may add to their comfort level if staff members know there is a high-speed emergency notification platform available if needed. Take every opportunity to remind employees how the system can be utilized when necessary. Demystify the platform, and employees will be much more likely to take advantage of this powerful communication tool.

Reach Out to Your Vendor

At CodeRED, we understand that emergencies don’t happen on a set schedule – and our dedicated 24/7/365 support is there when you need it. All representatives are thoroughly briefed on the system and will be able to quickly and efficiently provide you the support that you need to stay safe in a crisis. Staying in touch with your vendor allows you to learn about any updates and new components available for your use. Learn more about the CodeRED platform on our blog and see how other organizations are using this comprehensive tool.

Don’t wait for an emergency to test your system or train your staff. Start the new year off right with a full refresh of your strategy, updated training schedule for your team and a quick touch-base with your partners at CodeRED! Contact us today at 866-939-0911 or fill out our quick online contact form to receive a callback.